Lucy
by fireyfeline
Summary: Hey Lucy I remember your name... I just came to talk for a while got some things I need to say... A heart broken, a battle fought, a choice made. Never more will he let it happen.
1. Lucy

**I own this plot is all... Inspiration for this story is from the song Lucy by Skillet. Enjoy and please comment!**

He walked through the silent, still cemetery. He didn't want to be there. He had avoided this place for two years. He knew he should go even when his body didn't want to remember. Slowly, he came up to a small stone with a name and date written upon it. That name sent shivers down his spine. It brought back all the memories, flooding into his head. He fell to his knees, his body losing all feeling. Tears rolled down his face as he stared at her name.

Lucy Heartfilia

"Hey Lucy, I brought you a present." He pushed the bouquet of pink roses he had against the stone. He remembered she liked pink. She always commented on his pink hair and how she was jealous of it. Also, her guild mark, he remembered she wanted it in pink, and sure enough it was there on her right hand, the mark of Fairy tail in pink.

"I'm sorry Lucy, is there any way that you can forgive me?" His head fell to his chest as the tears fell even harder. His voice broke, "I am so sorry!" He pounded his fists into the ground. He was angry, and sad, emotions he had held back since that day. He never wanted to feel this lose again, but here he was, reliving that day again. He relived it every day since, but today was worse, since he was with her.

 _ **Flashback:**_

The sun had fallen hours ago, leaving the world dark and moonless. Howls of wild animals echoed through the woods surrounding the castle in the West. Natsu, Lucy, Erza, and Gray had decided to storm the castle and take on Zeref themselves. No one stopped them, not even the master.

"Lucy, if it gets bad you have to run away." Erza was holding Lucy's hand tightly. She was the only one other than Natsu who knew of Zerefs words in their previous battle. Natsu had Lost that day, but not because he wasn't strong enough. No, it was because Zeref had taken Lucy and discovered something interesting. He knew Lucy was Natsu's weakness, and he was sure to use it against him. Natsu had tried desperately to keep her from going on missions especially today, but because he couldn't tell her the reason why, she insisted on going. Natsu would just have to try harder to keep Zeref away from her.

Lucy smiled promised she would leave if things got bad. Natsu closed his eyes and listened to the sounds. He heard it all, the footsteps of his friends, the rustling of the leaves in the slight wind that was blowing. He concentrated a little harder and found what he wanted, her heartbeat. The quiet sound of thumping against her chest gave him reassurance and calmed his nerves. She would be okay, so long as her heart still beat.

He stopped walking and opened his eyes when he heard his name whispered. In front of them stood the castle door. Solid oak carved with intricate designs, standing twenty feet tall and just as wide. A bang was heard from the other side and the doors slowly creaked open. It was eerily silent after that.

Erza took a breath and stepped forward. Her armor changed in an instant to large heavy golden armor. It was her strongest set. Gained from when they went to Edolas, where she had fought her other self. "I feel it's safe for us to enter," Her voice shook just a little. However, no one noticed, no one except Natsu.

Inside the castle was dark; however, there was a soft glow throughout the place that seemed as if it was from a fire. They traveled forward going from room to room.

Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, until the hole appeared in front of them. It was a dark void that blocked their path. Natsu turned around to go back. His eyes widened and he darted forward. Somehow, Lucy had fallen behind the others by about fifty feet. When the black hole opened up in front of the others, a hole opened up under her. It was so fast she couldn't scream or shout. But it was slow, slow enough for her to see Natsu running and stretching his hand to her. She reached out for him; felt his fingers brush the tip of hers before everything around her went black.

"Damn it to Hell," he hollered out. He had touched her, he had watched her reach for him, and still he missed her. "ZEREF, COME OUT AND FIGHT ME YOU BASTARD!" He roared with anger, flames flying around him. He would definitely find and kill Zeref before he hurt Lucy.

Natsu closed his eyes and focused. He had to focus to find it, that ever so sweet smell that lead him to his Heaven.

There. He caught it, but with it, was something he didn't want to smell. His eyes snapped open and he rushed forward.

"Natsu!" He heard Erza and Gray yell and chase after him. He was fast, faster than any of them. They lost him in a matter of seconds. "I can't believe that idiot left without telling us anything." Gray was furious. He knew Natsu always did that but in this situation he really thought everyone would tell others where they were off to.

"Let it go, we have another problem," Erza turned sharply raising a sword. A loud clash was heard as another sword met with hers. Gray looked over his shoulder a second too late. He found himself fly across the room after a punch to the head.

Natsu ran as fast as he could. He had to reach her before anything happened. There it was; the smell was strong just behind the steel doors ahead of him. He pushed forward a little harder as flames rolled to life around him. That door was going down one way or another.

Natsu collided with the door, flying and landing hard in a room filled with the smell of fresh blood. He had landed hard but stood up glaring daggers at the man who would dare to take his most precious treasure.

"I will kill you, you bastard." Natsu snarled, sounding more like a beast then a human, "You dared to touch Luc..." His voice trailed off when he noticed the blond girl behind the enemy. She was tied to a chair, clothes torn and blood stained. His soft white skin was slashed in several places. Her head was down; Natsu couldn't tell if she was conscious. "Lucy," her name fell from his lips.

In that moment of shock from seeing her like that, Zeref took action. He lunged at Natsu stabbing him in the arm with a dull knife. Natsu returned to the moment and punched him in the face sending him flying in fire across the room. The knife still in his arm, Natsu raced to Lucy. But Zeref intercepted him and the fight began.

They were evenly matched, they both knew that. But, there would be a winner today at all costs. Zeref wanted death; he sought it in any form. But, he was not willing to go down without a hard fight. Especially, between him and his little brother; his greatest creation to killing him, E.N.D.

"Natsu," Zeref sneered at him. "What if I were to tell you, you had to kill me within a certain amount of time or your precious treasure would die?"

"What?" Natsu shook, eyes widening. There was no way Zeref should be able to do something like that, or was there?

He smiled and disappeared then reappearing in an instant behind Lucy.

"Don't you touch her," Natsu took a step forward to charge at him but was knocked flat on his back. A barrier was put up around him, keeping him from moving from that spot. There was nothing he could do but watch.

"Oh, Natsu," Zeref chuckled. He grabbed her and yanked her head back and opened her mouth. Reached into his coat he pulled out a vial of black liquid. "This poison is something of my own making." He seemed proud, holding it up and admiring the blackness of the vial as if it was his own heart.

He opened it and held it above the unconscious girl. "I can only give you thirty minutes. This poison will burn her from the inside out." The smile left his face. He looked at the angry Dragon slayer with pity. "There is however, a cure, the poison will be neutralized if she drinks my blood." He flicked his wrist and the liquid spilled into Lucy's mouth. She coughed violently and awoke screaming in pain.

That was it, Natsu couldn't stand it anymore. He pushed hard, fire blazing everywhere. He couldn't, wouldn't hear her scream in pain. He would kill Zeref fast, if it meant saving the girl. The barrier cracked then crumbled away. Natsu was pissed and Zeref was going to die here and now.

Natsu charging blindly at him was expected, after all, he had inflicted pain upon the girl. With quick precision he took out another vial. It was a grey smoky vapor; he unstopped it and blew it into Natsu's face just before he was sent flying into the wall behind him. He hit the wall hard, hard enough to crack a few bones. But those would heal within a minute, they always did. He looked up to find his opponent still as stone. He smiled; it was going as perfectly as planned.

"What happened!?" Natsu rubbed at his eyes trying hard to make it go away. He had seen Zeref blow something at him and then instantly there was darkness. To make it worse, he couldn't smell anything, her sent was gone, just as the sight of her was. "Bastard what are you trying to pull?"

"I just made our battle more interesting!" He heard a laugh.

He bared his teeth in the direction Zeref was in. He may not be able to see him or smell him but he could still hear. And that was very advantageous in his situation, because if he focused enough, he could even hear the faintest of noises.

Natsu closed his eyes and took a breath. He could hear it, Zerefs breathing. Natsu was about to attack when an ear piercing scream broke his concentration. "LUCY!?" 'Shit, there is no way I can focus if she screams.' Suddenly, Natsu felt sharp pain in his stomach. He fell to the floor, all the while listening to the screams and whimpering of the girl he was trying so hard to protect and save.

Zeref was oddly silent for an enemy that wanted to fight so badly. Natsu stood up and put a hand to his stomach. A round pipe of some sort, obviously with a sharp edge, since it pierced him. He groaned as he pulled it out and then flamed his own stomach to keep it from bleeding out.

"Damn that hurt." He smiled, turning his new weapon around. He listened hard, trying to ignore everything else around him. Then he heard it, a small soft laugh. He ran, so fast it was like he came out of nowhere. It happened so fast, that he didn't register what happened until it was over.

He felt the weapon in his hands his its solid target. Then, there was a soft and warm breath that hit his face. The breath he felt cleared his vision and his sense of smell, he blinked and then it all fell apart.

Zeref knew Natsu would hear any sound he made, so he was silent. When the girl screamed, he grabbed her and held her in front of him as a shield. It was then that he let out a little laugh. Of course, it was on purpose, because he knew Natsu would hear it and attack with everything he had. He had calculated everything out from the beginning. He knew killing the girl would enrage the Dragon Slayer, but he wanted to destroy Natsu along with himself. And that meant forcing Natsu to destroy the thing he cared for most, by his own hand.

It couldn't be. It just couldn't. Natsu gazed down at the body in his arms. He had felt the pipe thing go into someone He was sure of himself that it was Zeref, but the body of the blond girl in his arms said otherwise. He fell to his knees and turned her over, the pipe stuck out of her chest. Her eyes were blank and her face was as white as paper.

"Lucy?" His voice quivered, "Lucy, what happened?" His body was shaking; he didn't know what was going on. "Lucy," he repeated her name over and over.

"That poison that you inhaled and got in your eyes was cured by her last breath." Zeref chuckled loudly. He had done it, He had broken Natsu of his sanity, all that was left was to have him kill him and he would finally be free. "Natsu, come finish..." He was broken off by footsteps entering the room. He looked over to find the other two wizards standing in the doorway. They were breathing heavy and had bruises all over.

Erza surveyed the scene and gasped when she saw the state her friends were in. Gray fell to his knees. "What?" His voice left him. 'How did this happen?' Erza glared at Zeref and charged at him.

"You will die for harming my friends." She slashed at him wildly as he dodged her attacks one by one. He giggled.

"Oh, my dear girl, it was not me who killed the blond haired girl over there." He pointed at Natsu and Lucy.

"Who but you could have done it, you swine!?" She lunged and grazed his cheek. "There is no one else here other then you." Tears filled her vision as she continued to fight with him.

He sighed heavily. "Your girl was stabbed by Natsu himself." She froze eyes wide. 'Natsu killed Lucy?' her thoughts were apparent on her face. "That is right my dear, blame him for the loss of your precious friend."

Erza fell to the ground; her armor disappeared leaving her with a simple outfit that Lucy had given her as a gift. A red shirt and light blue shorts with a handmade red and pink bracelet on her wrist. Her hands covered her face as she began to sob. What had happened in the time they got spit up? Why do all this? Why?

Natsu didn't notice anything around him. His only concern was her. He had managed to remove the pipe from her, leaving a hole where her heart was. Gently, he wiped the blood from her mouth and face. Her blank eyes stared into him, so he closed them. She was gone; his whole world was gone, again. He had lost it before, when his father, Igneel died. But, she was there. She helped him and cried with him. She helped him recover ad gave him a new reason to fight. She didn't know that she was his reason, he had never told her. Perhaps he should have, it might have made a difference in the outcome of this battle.

He smiled weakly, "hey Lucy, I'm going to go beat this guy alright. Then you and I will go on a new adventure. I want to tell you something too. So, wait right here okay?" With one hand he removed the scarf from him neck and wrapped it around Lucy. Laying her down he used what was left of his scarf to cushion her head as a pillow. There was nothing left now. His entire world was gone. Natsu looked up towards the others, his eyes black as coal.

Gray watched helplessly as Natsu fought Zeref. It was not really fighting, so much as Natsu beating him. Natsu seemed to have transformed somehow, His eyes were dark and cold. His strength his multiplied within seconds. There was no fire, no thought, and just pure instinct. It seemed like Natsu was more a beast, no a demon. A demon was the only thing that fit, because this was not Natsu. Erza, who had stopped crying, also seemed to think the same thing.

Natsu didn't remember anything after laying her down. When he finally came to his senses, Zeref was dead, in pieces all around him. Blood covered this hands and clothes. The nasty stench of him was all over. It was disgusting. He turned around and threw up.

"Natsu," that voice! He looked up and over to her body, laying there just as he had left her. Stumbling, he made it over to her. Did she really call him just now? He bent down and picked her up, the same way he always held her, like a bride. He never wanted to admit that he liked carrying her like this. Turning he began walking out of the room.

"NATSU STOP," Erza's voice broke through his dream. He paused and looked down. She was still pale, and her body was getting colder. "Natsu don't take her anywhere. Don't leave!" She sounded frantic, helpless. She was grieving, he understood. Her best friend was gone and it was his fault. "Natsu, you need to stay here."

"We're going on an adventure." Those were the last words they heard him speak. He ran, as fast and as far as he could go. The forest was dark and thick; they would be unable to follow him. And by the time they could get out of that castle and get help he would be long gone. No one was going to take Lucy from him again.

 _ **End flashback:**_

"Everything will be alright Natsu." A sweet soft voice spoke up next to him. He looked up to see his beautiful blond haired girl next to him. She was smiling and helping his hand.

"I'm sorry; I just get upset about what happened that day. After all I did kill you Lucy." He mumbled the words looking at her for comfort. She was still smiling.

"Silly, you might have killed me but it wasn't your fault, and besides you also saved me." Lucy's voice trembled slightly. "I know because you brought my soul back to my body." She turned and leaned into his chest. It was warm just like it always was. She closed her eyes. She could remember it all.

Natsu wrapped his arms around Lucy. "I will never let you go again. No one will know you're still alive, and no one will find us. I will protect you forever and you won't leave my side." He buried his face in her neck; her hair tickling his nose a little. "I love you Lucy."

 **If you are nice and comment I might *wink wink* tell you how she was saved! I am already working on it anyways but tell me what you think and I will update some more!**


	2. Lucy's Life

**Lemme know how you like this and maybe I can write a little more goings on. Sorry it took awhile to get this part up. Enjoy!**

 _Faster, I need to run faster. I have to get far away._ His thoughts were evident as he pushed himself beyond his limits. The surrounding forest was dark and dense, with very little sunlight reaching the ground through the canopy of trees. However, that didn't matter to him at all. He could see, hear and smell better than any normal human could. He did have dragons senses after all. There was no way Gray or Erza would be able to track him easily. Besides, even if they did manage to find him, he would fight. It did not matter anymore to him if it was friend or foe. He would never let anyone touch her again.

Natsu glanced down at the girl in his arms. She was beautiful, even if she was covered in blood. A tear slipped from his eye. He couldn't believe the last hours. It seemed as if it all happened so fast. She was taken, poisoned, and killed. It was unfair; it was wrong. None of this should have happened.

"I'm sorry Lucy. I am sorry for what I did, but I swear that I will find a way to save you!" Natsu continued dodging trees in the darkness. Daylight would be upon them in a matter of hours.

He didn't stop for even a second, it wasn't until he was already soaked that Natsu noticed that it had been raining and coming down pretty heavily as well. He had to find somewhere that he could rest until it let up.

He stopped, looking all around him for something, anything. There was nothing within sight. He grit his teeth, dashing forward. There had to be something somewhere. He continued searching until he spotted a decent sized tree that had a rotted out center. It would make a good refuge from the rain. This way he would be able to keep Lucy from getting cold and wet.

Wait a minute, the dragon slayer mentally slapped himself. How could he be so stupid? He was soaked to the bone before he even realized that it was raining, which meant that she was drenched as well. That wasn't good at all, with her body getting colder as time went by. He scurried over to the hollow tree and squeezed inside. It was a tight fit with the both of them but there was no way he would let her go and sit outside getting more wet. He hated the rain, hated being wet, after all he was a fire mage. Aside from that, he would not let her go for anything.

He signed and hugged Lucy closer to him. His eyes widened.

"Shit," he focused his magic energy and set a blazing fire around both of them. She was as cold as ice; her getting wet must have made it worse. He didn't notice it until then. "Damn it, Lucy please hang on!" His eyes closed shut as he focused harder. He had to make her body warmer; if it got too cold then there would be no chance of bringing her back. He would lose her forever.

Thump thump… Thump thump…

Natsu gasped as tears filled his eyes. He heard it. He didn't know how. But it was there. Her heart beat, slowly getting stronger. He pulled away from her enough so he could see her face. The tears slipped from his eyes.

"How?" There was no way it could have been possible. But, his happiness soon gave way to fear. Her heart which was beating strong began to slowly fade away before stopping altogether again.

"What?" He shook her slightly. What was going on? "Lucy please, you were alive just then right?" His body shook in sadness and anger. It was gone again. His own heart felt like it was breaking even further. How was it even possible that she had come back just then and then left? There was nothing worse than this pain. This hope and despair all in one. If there was no way to bring her back, he would give up. There was no reason for living in the world if she wasn't there in it with him.

The dragon slayer slumped back against the inside of the tree. He pulled Lucy tight into his chest. He was exhausted. The battle earlier had worn him out more than running away with her. His magical energy was also running low. Closing his eyes he listened closely to make sure nothing was nearby that would potentially be dangerous. With nothing but the pounding rain above in the tree tops, he slipped into a seemingly dreamless sleep.

The darkness was all around. Nothingness surrounding him. Was this Hell? He looked around. Nothing, he snorted, that wasn't really surprising. He sighed; he didn't want anything to happen anyways. If it did, it would be a nightmare or even worse, false hope. He wanted nothing more than to just fade away right now. His ears perked up. Something caught his attention, there was a noise coming from somewhere nearby.

"Natsu," a small familiar voice rang out. His eyes widened as a light appeared and began filling up the whole space around him. Within that light was a beautiful figure that he knew all too well. She was there, in all her perfectness, as if nothing had happened in the last several hours. Her ivory skin glowing with the light. Her brown eyes dancing with happiness after seeing him, like they always did. Her blond hair was no long caked with her blood. He was so transfixed on her that he did not realize he had been holding his breath. He continued to hold his breath feeling as if this moment would shatter if the air even slightly changed around them.

"Are you really here Luce?" His voice broke the silence as he ran over to her. With his strong arms he embraced her small body that was so familiar. She felt real and smelled as she always did, of shampoo and roses. His grip tightened around her. He didn't want to let go, no now, not ever.

"I missed you," her arms ran along his back. Burying her face in his shoulder, she smiled. How happy she was to see him again was evident in her actions. "Thank you Natsu, thank you for bringing me back."

"I don't know how it happened but I lost you again. I will definitely find someone who can bring you back." His confidence surprised even him. He wasn't really sure he could find someone to bring her back. He remembered Jellal was brought back once before, but at the time he didn't have a hole in his chest from a pipe.

"Hey Natsu," Lucy pulled away and looked at him. A smile gracing her lips. "I love you!" A blush crept across her cheeks. "I wanted to be able to say it just in case."

Natsu grinned smugly, "There is no just in case. You will be fine. I have been in love with you from the beginning. From our very first mission together. Do you remember?" She nodded. It was as if it was yesterday, he had been worried about another guild member who hadn't returned from his mission, it was more his son who was worried, but it still made Natsu feel the same. He left to go on a search to find him, Lucy tagging along. In the beginning of the search he thought she was a bit of a pain in the ass but after seeing her celestial spirit, Taurus fight and her not giving up to save someone she didn't even know, that was when his feeling started. After that moment, he thought about her ever night and day.

Suddenly, Natsu doubled over in pain. Something was wrong, something was outside. Outside his dream his eyes fluttered open and he came face to face with an enraged Erza and Gray. He growled deep in his throat. He was beyond pissed seeing that his precious girl was lying on the ground between them.

"You bastard, how dare you take her and then attack me when I try and pick her up." What is she talking about? His thoughts must have been apparent on his face because Erza anger turned quickly to shock. "You didn't know?"

Natsu wasn't sure what she was talking but then again he didn't care too much. He took advantage of the confusion and darted forward and grabbed Lucy. Within a split second he turned and high tailed it out of the area. He had to move fast since they were here. He knew he had done it now. He could sense the mighty Titania re-quipping her armor and bolting after him. She was really fast but mostly she was strong. Possibly stronger than he was. However, that didn't matter when he had speed on his side. He was twice as fast as she was, with or without her armor and even if he didn't have much magical energy left.

Up ahead he could see a strong bright light. A clearing most likely; it was perfect. He could take that opportunity to change his path in an instant and lose them before they even made it there. Natsu's face fell as he made it into the clearing; he skidded to a halt, right at the edge of a cliff. His only means of escape now was to jump off the cliff, which was incredibly high up nearly reaching the sky, or turning around to face Erza and Gray.

The dragon slayer turned sharply when he heard a twig snap behind him. They were already there. Now there was only one way out but it meant him losing his life as well. Natsu shuffled to the very edge, his friends stood still at the edge of the trees fearing if they moved he would jump. Natsu glanced over his shoulder at the trees far below. He sniffed at the air and smiled. He could smell it; it was familiar yet not all in one. He faced his friends again.

"Please give her back Natsu, give her back and come with us, Erza's voice broke as she fell to her knees. All she wanted to do was give her friend a proper burial and to help Natsu. "Please?" Gray slid forward ever so slightly. Natsu shook his head. There was no way he would let her go. He couldn't be without her and he couldn't let anyone touch her.

He closed his eyes, listening for the opportune moment. He waited for the signal for him to go; he tightened his grip on Lucy. He took on last look at his friends and saw their faces fall and watched them rush forward. He heard them scream as he let himself fall backwards off the cliff.

The fall felt like it took years. Natsu used the last of his fire magic when Gray sent ice towards him to save them both. There was no way he would let Gray save them. There was nothing more that the two mages could do then watch helplessly as Natsu and Lucy disappeared into the trees below.

Natsu prayed that it would come. He put all his trust in it. This voice, this person, someone would be able to help him. He felt like everything would be alright. Just after his body hit the trees he felt cool water envelope him and slow him down. Everything would be alright. The dragon slayer smiled and placed a kiss on Lucy's forehead.

The water had slowed them down quick without any harm done to them, allowing Natsu to land gracefully on his feet. After looking around he saw a girl who looked to be about the same age as him. Wearing a long teal blue dress and her hair pulled into a high ponytail atop her head, she walked towards them. Her eyes were like cold blue and white ice; Natsu shivered slightly.

"You're the one who called to me right? You said you could help Lucy." He rushed her with the words. She just smiled.

"Yes, I did in fact call to you." She spoke softly and in a graceful manner. "Perhaps it is more accurate to say that it was you two who in fact called out to me. Through the rain last night, I heard your desires and felt your desperation. You are Natsu Dragneel, the Salamander, fire dragon slayer of the guild Fairy Tail, are you not?" A little shocked he nodded his head.

"My name is Mara and like you, I am a dragon slayer as well. I am the water dragon slayer of healing." She turned around and began walking away. Natsu followed closely behind. "As I called to you a small time ago, I can assist you in helping your lover. However, first we must get away from here and back to my home where it is safest." Several feet away from where they were a moment ago was a large puddle of water. Mara stood next to it and gestured Natsu to do the same. Hesitating just a bit, he followed suit. Next to her ne noticed that she was a head taller than he was. That was just a bit irritating.

Mara waved her arms and water surrounded them once more. They were lifted off the ground and into the large water puddle. Natsu's face fell in amazement. The scenery around them disappeared, after several moments passed, they arose out of another puddle. The water around them vanished. Looking around he noticed that they seemed to be in a different forest. Nearby was a small house nestled between two large oak trees.

The girl, Mara, began to glide towards the house. "Follow me please." She was a really kind person. Natsu dashed after her. Inside the house it felt homey, much like Lucy's apartment always felt for him. IT was comforting. She motioned to the bed and Natsu laid his precious girl down gently.

"I will begin healing her body; it will take a couple days to do." Mara was moving around grabbing different bottles and herbs. "I can tell she took in a rather deadly poison. Her body must be healed before she is brought back, or she will die again. After that she will no longer be able to be brought back. She began working and running water over Lucy's still body.

Natsu watched her closely. She smiled, "I will not harm her. It goes against everything I was taught. You must sleep though. Your magical energy is low and you will need to use it to assist in bringing her back." Natsu slumped down on the floor. He didn't really want to rest but she was right about one thing. He had no energy left to use his magic. Natsu closed his eyes and quickly feel into a dreamless sleep.

After sleeping, Natsu filled his stomach and began asking questions. He learned quickly that with her water, Mara had transported them clear across the continent. They were about a one month's trip away from the guild. They had cleaned the dirt and blood off Lucy as well, thanks to Mara. On the second day is when they finally talked about bringing Lucy back to them.

Mara sat in a chair drinking a cup of tea. She was exhausted after all her work. Natsu sat on the floor across from her. "Dragons," she began, "have one mate for life. Since we are raised, and trained by dragons we get our magic from them. As such we also have one mate for life until death." Natsu shook his head in acknowledgement. He remembered Igneel teaching him about that and how to know when you have found your mate. He knew the moment he met Lucy that she was his mate. He denied it at first but fell in love with her anyways.

Not stopping or hesitating in her speech as the boy thought to himself she continued talking. "Dragons also, have a very rare, special ability that almost no one knows about." This caught Natsu's attention. "This ability is to be able to bring a loved one back to life after death. " She looked at the boy. He was listening intently. "This ability, it uses a considerable amount of magic to use." He nodded his head.

Mara smiled and looked down at the tea swirling around in her cup. "Do you remember the other night when her heart started beating?" She didn't have to look up to know he remembered. How could he forget, that was what gave him absolute hope. "That night you used this ability without fully knowing or understanding it." She signed heavily; she didn't quite know how to phrase this next part.

Natsu stood up and walked over to the bed where Lucy lay. He touched her arm; it was warm, being kept warm so that this magic would work. "So, how do I properly use this magic? How do I make it work like before?"

Mara's face fell. "Natsu, I said earlier that this uses a large amount of magic right? Well, a dragon has an infinite amount of magical energy; they can use it over and over and never have a problem. Dragon slayers on the other hand only have a limited amount of magic. Because of that this ability takes everything you have." She looked up at him as he turned around. He looked a little confused at what she was saying.

"So, I use all my magic to bring her back, I don't see what the problem is. It just means that I will have to sleep and eat again to get it back."

"No you can't." Mara looked back down. "For a dragon Slayer to use this ability, they must use every ounce of their magical energy, which means that using this and bringing her back means that you will never be able to use magic again." Her eyes tightened shut, not wanting to see his face.

His smiled left his face as what she said sunk in. _So I will lose my magic? I will lose something Igneel gave me?_ It was a precious gift that he didn't want to lose but to save the love of his life he had to. Natsu hung his head and a few tears fell from his face. To give up a treasure to save a treasure, wasn't that ironic. He missed his father a lot. He had given him so much and it would hurt to lose a gift given to him, but he still had his memories and the scarf. As much as it was painful to give up magic, he knew it would be a million times worse if he had to give up life without Lucy. She was his everything.

"How do I use this magic? How does it work?" His words were so low they were barely audible. "Tell me."

Mara smiled, she was now sure in her heart she had made the right choice to help these two; their love resonated within her heart. He genuinely loved her and she loved him back. "You must embrace her and focus on your desire to save her. Focus on making her heart beat and it will. You did it before by accident, now you will do it intentionally. You will begin to feel yourself getting weak, but you must hang on until you feel the last of your magic leave you."

Natsu climbed onto the bed behind Lucy and moved her up and against his chest. He smiled sweetly, "are you ready Luce?" He wrapped his arms around her. _Lucy, I need you to come back to me. There is no way I can live without you. If the cost to bring you back is all my magic then the world can take it._

He closed his eyes and focused all his energy, flames roared to life around them just like that night in the forest. He buried his face in her neck and hair. Her body slowly grew warmer.

 **Thump thump... thump thump….**

He heard her heart begin to slowly beat again. Tightening his grip on her small body he focused harder. He listened as her heart beat begin to quicken. He could feel the magic draining from his body, changing and then going into her. It was the most magical thing he has ever felt by far; magic turning into life. It was overwhelming, but it was nearly done.

"Hey Lucy, I want to marry you!" With those words he felt the very last drops of magic leave him and in that instant she took her first breath in days. Natsu collapsed and fell against the wall behind the bed Lucy going with him. At least he managed not to pass out, that was a plus. He closed his eyes and listened to the beautiful sound of her heart beating inside of her chest. He could even hear the soft breaths she was taking. She was alive, his beautiful princess was alive. He covered his face with his hands as the tears spilled down his face. There was nothing in the world that he wanted more than her.

"Thank you Mara," he called out to the water dragon slayer. She nodded; now they needed to rest. IT would be awhile before she gained energy back and she woke up.

"Well done, Natsu, well done."

The days past by quickly; Lucy managed to wake up, surprising them both by informing them that somehow ever since the incident in the tree Lucy knew everything that had happened. They talked and made a plan about what to do to keep her safe, neither of them liked it but it was the best they could come up with.

With Mara's permission and her desire to have the lovers near her, Natsu and Lucy build a house nearby. Mara had taken a liking to them considering she wasn't much of a people person.

A few weeks later Natsu packed a bag and took off, he traveled alone to Fairy Tail. He couldn't bring himself to walk in so he had someone take a paper in and hand it to the master. The guild was shocked at Natsus' letter telling of how he would not be returning. On the paper as well was an address. The guild members went and discovered a small grave stone with Lucy's name on it with a dozen pink roses laid across it. They cried for days knowing the reason why Natsu would not be returning again. They all knew he loved her, and this would have destroyed him. With that, the world believed Lucy Heartfilia to be dead.


End file.
